Loyalty and the Aftermath
by dolphinstar159
Summary: Eddelrittou is loyal to her monarch, but that doesn't mean she always believes in her. Over the years she had grown and as she changes so does the meaning of how to be loyal.


**A.N. I decided to rewrite this story after reading it through. this is it after I edited it. How you enjoy.**

Eddelrittuo is loyal to Asseylum, she followed her when she ran to Klancain despite her misgivings, after all. So, when she first hears that Slaine Troyard is blamed for the entire war she glares at her, now Empress, with wide eyes and shouts in a way she never has before, "How could you? He was loyal to you until the very end. He protected you with everything he had, giving up everything that could have been his!"

The Slaine she remembers has seen the worst of the Vers Empire. Its startling class discrepancies, its cruel people, its starvation, and its pitiful resources. Yet, he still smiles at the princess and keeps his mouth shut after he is beaten for the crime of being Terran. He never tells anyone about his injuries unless they are from battle, and so the princess does not find out what happens to her 'dear friend'. Sometimes, Eddelrittuo will wonder how her princess had been so _caring of her friend._

Yes, she is sarcastic about that merely due to the fact it should be impossible for her to have been oblivious to his treatment by Count Cruteo. She is willfully blind, to both her people and her friends. It does not make Eddelrittou resentful, only protective. Until this moment, she has never raised her voice to Asseylum. But, then again, she never thought that the princess would have to grow to fit the shoes of a true royal. Someone who rules only for the benefit of themselves and no one else. She had followed he now Empress in hopes that she would be the push for reforms in the Versian upper-class. One that would gap the exceedingly poor and rich. One that would save their people. Her leader's answer destroys that illusion. It was at that moment, Eddelrittuo will later reflect that her heart grows cold.

"The Counts say the full truth is too complicated. Both Vers and Earth need someone to blame and Slaine is... the obvious choice.", the princess then breaks down, bursting into tears at the knowledge of what she was doing to her former friend. Taking his life is one thing, and can be seen as having an honorable death, stripping him of his accomplishments is worse than death for their people and the royal knows this well. Had this been anyone else Eddelrittuo would have had them killed, let them be a noble or a Count.

Eddelrittou was shocked by that answer, and nods meekly, attempting to process this. She was a commoner that got this position purely by luck, she could not be seen to defy Princess Asseylum openly. The other servents would be watching and vying for her position. She does not bring the topic up with the princess again. She knew better than that, being in court as long as she has. Being open about sympathizing with Terrans was asking to be persecuted and could get her in serious trouble. She needed as many allies as she could get.

But, at that moment, if the princess had not started crying she might have said more. Said it was unfair to Slaine after all he did for them. Pointed out that Count Saazbaum could have just as easily shouldered at least the part of the blame he owed. Argued that it was the need of someone to blame that lead Vers to hate Earth and caused the second war as much as Saazbaum or Slaine. She knows the royals of the court better than most servants, so she knows to stop talking and allow for this to continue. The nobles, after all, would never allow one of their own to be persecuted.

If she does not act porperly, she could get replaced, killed, or even worse, dishonored and banished. She needs to aide Asseylum, though it breaks her heart to do so.

So, Eddelrittuo is silent, lays a comforting hand on Asseylum's shoulder and says, "He wouldn't have minded."

That, thank the stars, is truth. Because Slaine was as loyal, if not more so, than she, and whatever their princess needed Slaine would have brought to her feet. He would conquer worlds for the sense of duty he held to Vers. He would have smiled the same one he would give her as he spoke about roses or flowers and said, "Of course your highness.", if had been alive to do so. She hates the both of them for knowing that.

A year passes and she watches as the nobles and the Terrans pile hate upon Slaine. For failing and for trying, and most forget that Slaine was merely another soldier. The newly crowned Empress spends much of her time on Terran, smoothing over their ruffled feathers and bringing peace. The Emperor in the meantime is on Vers, convincing the nobles to leave Earth and pursue other options. He convinces them to bring resources and soil back to Vers to help change the terrain.

It causes great conflict. The Versian people do not have the manpower nor knowledge to work with these materials and those that do, keep it a closely guarded secret. The nobles and the terrains call her 'great' and 'kind', but the common Versian would look up and say "Her?! You mean the False Queen?", and go back to work as if they had not insulted their ruler. In the background, unrest grows as people

Time and again she bites her tongue to keep from lashing out and she wishes that there was at least someone to talk to who knew the real Slaine. Unfortunately, the survivors of his crew can't seem to bear to hear his name so she stops talking about him altogether. She watches the new royal couple and can't help but think that Klancain is nowhere near as faithful as Slaine was to both the princesses. He would have defended the now Empress from every scornful word thrown her way. The Count leaves her to deal with the court intricacies on her own, either knowing or unknowing Empress Asseylum's naivety.

In this time, Eddelrittuo has also grow. She no longer looks like a small child standing next to the Empress. She now ran the palace and every single servant answered to her. While the Counts and nobles still looked down upon her, she could now bar their entry and access to the royal family if they disrespected her. Her name is not spoken anymore, as she is now one of the greatest assets of Vers. With this power, she becomes the diplomat to Terran and after a few months working there, a treacherous thought passes her mind.

Blaming Slaine is easy. Slaine wouldn't have minded. She feels like breaking down into tears when she thinks that, for just because he would not have minded doesn't make it right. She is not a noble, she cannot look down at anyone for that. She was born an orphan, and raised in a system meant to produce child weapons. She is one of the hidden royal assassins, and by the time she was ten, she had foiled various attempts on Asseylum's life with mere kitchen utensils and hot soups. She had never even been ruffled by it, merely ordering others to get rid of the bodies before anyone of importance came upon it.

The peace talks go slowly, mainly due to those lords refusing to give up earth territory. They do not fear losing their powers, they march on, brave and strong against those who would attack them.

Then, another thought strikes Eddelrittuo: Slaine may be dead and unable to defend his name. But is everybody who would gone?

Eddelrittuo is loyal to Asseylum, but when the communication from Lemrina comes two years after Slaine's death asking for a secret meeting she doesn't hesitate to accept. They meet in a place she knows the Empress will not send others to follow, the place of Slaine's death. Morbid of her, maybe, but this was the only spot away from prying eyes in her mind.

The second princess arrives via Kataphrat with terran exoskeleton devices on her legs. Gone is the flowing gown and in its place, is a military uniform that resembles Vers but with subtle differences. She's not alone either. The sight of Harklight answers her question about the landing castles. He must have helped her gain loyalty and followers. There is an insignia on his lapel, proving Harklight to be Princess Lemrina's knight and bodyguard. With it he has shown that he would die defending her and ensuring her safety.

"We will never return to Vers." Lemrina tells her. "We will never surrender to those who slander the name of Slaine Troyard.", and Eddelrittuo can understand the sentiment entirely, for somedays she wishes to kill the people who dare scorn the one who would have saved her people's lives.

She tries to tell them her Empress's reasoning, but faced with the people who still follow Slaine despite his passing she finds that she cannot speak them for they sound so _empty_.

They talk and plan for the future and when she finally works the nerve to tell them, Harklight snorts. It's unbecoming and so very terran, but somehow very fitting. The tone of his reply is bitter. "They needed a commoner to blame."

To that Eddelrittuo has no defense. Because it's true. It's why Saazbaum was not called on his guilt. Why, even though he did not plot the assassination alone, no living knight has been arrested or questioned. Asseylum needs their support. Blaming Saazbaum would have caused disruption. Slaine was a hero to the Vers lower-class, but to the Terrans and Vers upper-class, he was the enemy. The choice between the two had been obvious despite his charisma and brilliant tactics.

"And so, the corruption of Vers will continue." Lemrina states. "The newfound wealth of the treaty with the UEF will do wonders for those born to high class. For the rest of Vers people? Nothing will change. I intend to bring it, just as Slaine wished, though in an unusual way."

"Right now, we're biding our time. The day will come though when we will proclaim ourselves a new kingdom separate from Vers or UEF." Harklight explains. "No one wants another war right now. So, time is on our side.", Eddelrittou agrees with that. She is a commoner but like all of her status, she has military experience and is ready to defend whomever her charge is.

"First we need to cultivate the lands we've claimed. We need resources for this plan, mainly storable foods." Lemrina tells her.

"Our people sneak out regularly to gather knowledge from the terrans about what we need to understand to live on earth. It's trial and error. We've had both successes and failures. I'm confident in the end we'll succeed though. We will make our late Lord's new kingdom a reality in a place far from here."

Eddelrittuo is loyal to Vers, but she is also a servant. She understands why Slaine is a hero to Harklight and others who are not privileged. He beat the Counts at their own game. He inherited a war and almost won it. He promised a new world. Whereas Asseylum only offered a return to the status quo. Peace with Earth but no change for Vers. Was there any wonder some chose to fight on in the former's name?

These thoughts prompt her reply. "Be sure to plant Blue Roses. Lord Slaine taught me... they mean 'Miracle'."

Lemrina's smile is brilliant. Eddelrittuo doesn't think she's ever seen the younger princess so happy. Eddelrittou smiles back, bows, and they both part ways, promising to keep communications to further their new goal. Bring Lord Slaine's dream to life for the people of Vers. But Lemrina's words spark something in her, for they are confusing. Though elaborate phases are a way of speech for her people, they were both cryptic on their plans even for her.

Two years after the meeting with Lemrina she learns Slaine is alive. _(She has changed her way of counting the days, instead of by years of life, she is twelve, it is years after the war.)_ . Her title as official diplomat to Terran, so that the Empress may 'properly rule Vers without having her interests divided' has to great use for Lemrina and Harklight in these years.

In the servants' quarters, they laugh at the conspiracy theories of the nobles and egg on the more daring ones to make mistakes. She watches with a keen eye and is ready to pounce on all those that have wronged her or her friends. The nobles soon learn to be kinder to the lower-class, at least around her.

The moment she discovers Slaine is alive she pesters Inaho to let her see him and within a week she is there. Slaine cries when she hugs him. _(She doesn't mind because she's crying too)_ Her happiness at seeing him alive is short lived. Slaine is depressed (another terran word, but it fits his demeanor well). He is alive but he is not living. His smile is heartbreaking when she promises to bring him blue roses.

"Impossible?" He asks her, his voice hoarse from lack of use _(her leader, her hero is in a prison and he is breaking inside of it)._

"Miracle." She insists, tears in her eyes at both of their hopelessness. Her mind is swirling with countless emotions, unable to form a proper plan to break him out of this cage.

Inaho seems pleased by her visit. "He spoke with you. He rarely does anything but ask me to kill him."

Eddelrittuo closes her eyes and must remind herself how much she likes Inaho as both an ally and a political friend. He has saved the now empress countless times, either from assassins or political adversaries with a blank face, and kind eyes, "You put him in a cage.", hoping he will understand what she means _(Versians have never been direct, they speak their words with hidden meaning and beautiful metaphors, and nowhere near as blunt as the terrans)._

Inaho stares at her blankly. "He is imprisoned for his crimes."

There is no less blood on your hands, she thinks but does not say. The blood on the hands of those who win the war is never counted, for their crimes are always pardoned in the name of 'defense' or 'justice', "For life?", she asks instead.

"His release is impossible. But he will get everything he needs so long as he lives."

Nothing save freedom. Or death. Which in this case would be merciful compared to forcing him to live. He was raised by the Versian code of honor, one that demands he kill himself rather than stay alive in enemy hands. If he was asking for death, then they should have given it rather than make him suffer a cursed existence. "Why was he not executed? They claimed he was."

"It was Asseylum's wish."

"To imprison him?", she is shocked, she had thought her ruler was better than this, better than keeping him in a cage.

"To save him."

Anger courses through her at those words. How does imprisoning him save him? "You put him in a cage and call it saving him?!"

Inaho's blank stare tells her he doesn't understand, "He is suicidal and wants to kill himself. This ensures he is not a danger to himself or others."

Saddest of all are the birds who live in cages, Slaine's words echo through her mind.

Why would anyone do that? She had asked.

Because they are so very beautiful, no one wants to let them go. Even in the prison he is loyal, refusing to hear one bad word about either princess. Oh, he curses nobles, he curses gods, his enemies and the new emperor, but never acknowledges Asseylum's faults. She tells him news of the world outside and she also uses the basic codes she was taught in military. She will not give up on him, on seeing their dream of a better Vers, but…

Eddelrittuo is loyal. To Asseylum. To Vers. But, she decides, she is also loyal to her friends.

She can't act right away. Not without bringing suspicion on herself. She continues visiting. She talks Inaho into letting Slaine plant a garden she then convinces Slaine to keep.

Five years pass like this. She learns of Lemrina's and Harklight's plans only after she reveals to them what she has discovered and their ideas shock her.

Their plan is simple, yet complicated. With much research _(done in secret)_ it was discovered that Aldnoah could be used to compress space and time. It was the reason that the Kataphrats of the nobles contained special abilities. With enough time and preparation, they could began colonizing worlds millions of light years away. They had already discovered which planet to go to, it was now only a matter of technology, which was swiftly being developed. An entire timeframe was put in place for the development and transport of the ships for the people and supplies. The ships were being built in secret underground as to avoid detection and the crops were being produced so a large amount of people could endure for a time without crops. Ships were also being built for the sole purpose of acting as farms for the people in case anything did occur.

In the meantime, she has rose in the inner 'ranks' of the nobles and commanded a respect that most would recognize even though she is young, only seventeen. She is the favored of the Emperor and Empress, and it is unwise to anger her. She continues her communications with Lemrina and Harklight telling them of Slaine and together they plot how to set him free. It is harder than most would think, especially with Inaho Kaizuka watching the prison like a Terran hawk.

She continues to remain amicable to the Empress and Emperor _(they are friends as well, despite their flaws_ ), but one day Emperor Klanclain says something that sets her off. It is at a small dinner gathering with the representative of the UEF and herself. She sits next to Inaho, and she is having an enjoyable time before the topic comes to Slaine.

"It is sad, really.", her monarch said, "My father was an ally of my wife and helped her come to earth. It is disappointing to see someone my father fostered in his care on her request attempted to kill her and wipe out the people of this planet."

Her eyes flash, but she smiles for the rest of the dinner party and four days later there a file with Slaine Troyard's name on the desk of the Emperor and Empress. They summon her a day later.

"What is this?!", Emperor Klanclain demands, throwing the file in front of her.

She barely glances at it when she responds," The medical record of Slaine Troyard during his time on the Landing Castle of the late Count Cruteo."

"I'm asking you why they were on my desk.", he demands angrily, "Why are trying to show me these? Slaine destroyed his medical records during his time in power, how did you get your hands on these?!", his shouting shows his lack of control upon seeing the truth of the records. And for the first time, she sneer in contempt in front of her leaders. She does not bother to hide her derision of them.

She looks him in the eye and responds," I kept them in secret, for my own memories. I had not realized you had deluded the image of your father, so I took it upon myself to remind you of his view on Terrans and those of the lower class. I would hate to tarnish your memory of him.", her voice clearly mocking him.

"Are you implying that the Count did this?", Asseylum asked, shocked at the sheer amount of injuries.

"This was after the torture Slaine underwent while we were missing Empress", she responded, bowing low, "We may never know the true extent of the injuries Slaine bore during his time in the landing castle, but these are the injuries he was treated for when he was with Count Saazbaum. From what I heard from the crew, his state was quite horrific when he was rescued."

She was dismissed from the room after that, but she knew her words had an impact on the both of them. The courts watched her with weary eyes, unsure of what to make of her. She did not advocate change, but she supported it. _(They did not know she believed in change, but knew she was not the messiah for this cause. That was the job of Slaine and his followers alone)_

Two years later, she brings blue roses to the garden Slaine has made. It is beautiful, rivaling that of the one he made in the Landing Castle for the Empress and the Princess. Lemrina and Harklight have both prepared for this day. She has finally convinced her monarch to move Slaine from the prison and bring him to a kinder faculty under Mars' jurisdiction. The next day, they fake an explosion and the two guards they sent as spies run with them. The higher officials' relief is palatable, as the 'dead' man is now gone, and only Kaizuka looks at her with suspicion. They have little reason to meet now though, so their encounters become few and far between. She continues to aide her friends in the shadows, sending them scientists and fellow commoners for their cause.

Their cause has changed over the years. The Versian people now want freedom from the nobles, but that would not be possible. To most, becoming a Terran goes against the base of their being, but Earth and Mars are not the only planets in the universe. The scientists they have gather are both looking for a world to settle on and a fast method to get there. Ten years after the Terran-Versian War, they discover a method of transport.

The scientists call it the Warp, allowing for a temporary bending of time and space using Aldnoah. The technology far surpassed the current scientists in both the worlds by fifty years. After finding a suitable, habitable planet in another solar system merely one month away by Warp _(fifteen years by other standards)_ the leader of the remaining Landing Castles on Terran put their plan into action.

They have gathered many supplies over the years in anticipation of this move and sent scouters to the planet to ensure it is livable. The pioneers have guaranteed its safety, so one year after the creation of the Warp, the plan is ready.

On the eleventh year after the war, in a pirate radio broadcast, Princess Lemrina stands proudly before a camera with Harklight beside her and announces the formation of the Kingdom of La Mancha in a speech Eddelrittuo has no doubt was written by a supposedly dead war criminal and war hero who are one and the same. The blue roses behind the now Empress of La Mancha could mean Miracle or Impossible.

Eddelrittuo smiles at the boldness of the move and twists the ring on her finger. She has been engaged to Harklight, after he proposed to her two month ago. She will not leave her monarch though, for she has pledged her loyalty. Harklight gets permission to stay with her so that they may both act as members for the Underground railroad for those who wish for a new beginning. The universe is now ready for the change Lord Slaine Saazbaum Troyard will provide, and she will help him to the very bitter end. She is loyal after all, she thinks with a light smile.


End file.
